Baker and Pratt keep school board seats

LITTLETON -- Political newcomer Melissa Hebert glided to victory in her bid for a seat on the Board of Selectmen as a top-vote getter in Saturday's town election, garnering 1,164 votes.

"I feel amazing. I feel grateful and excited. And I can't wait to get started," Hebert, a 34-year-old high-tech worker from Grove Road, said as the results came in.

Incumbent Selectman James Karr of Elizabeth Street followed Hebert with 1,010 votes, securing his seat on the board. Christopher Simone, a first-time candidate from Whitcomb Avenue, came in a distant third with 691 votes.

The two School Committee seats went to incumbents Alex Pratt of Birch Road and Daryl Baker of Edsel Road, who received 1,055 votes and 968 votes respectively, while their challenger, Robert Malnati of King Street, received 701 votes.

Incumbent Planning Board member Peter Scott of Scott Road won his re-election bid with 825 votes while former board member Janet Lavigne took 706 votes.

Simone had said he wanted to encourage the Board of Selectmen to seek more input from residents. While some voters said the town is politically divided, Karr said he believes it's an image created by a minority group that includes Simone.

"Littleton is not divided. Let me make it clear," Karr said as he celebrated his successful re-election bid for his Board of Selectmen seat on Saturday night.

"The silent majority came out today and spoke," Karr said. "I feel great about it."

Hebert said the town has some sort of division, although she is not sure what that is.

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The key is to get everyone involved in town politics, Hebert said, attributing her status as a top vote-getter to her successful efforts to draw her generation to the polls. She said being open-minded and having "neutral grounds" also helped her win the board seat.

The first thing on her agenda, however, is to learn how the system works and dig deeper into issues facing the town, Hebert said.